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National 4-H Partners Memorandum of Understanding

Cooperative Extension, USDA-NIFA, and National 4-H Council Sign Agreement

Surrounded by 4-H members, Cooperative Extension, USDA-NIFA and National 4-H Council recently showed united support of positive youth development by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) clarifying the roles and responsibilities of each party.

ECOP Chair-elect Delbert Foster, South Carolina State University, who signed the MOU on behalf of ECOP Chair Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, indicated its purpose was to encourage collaborative and enhanced communication and management of national 4-H policies and procedures affecting state and local programs.

USDA-NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy also signed the document together with National 4-H Council President and Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Sirangelo. The signing took place as part of the historic Cooperative Extension Centennial Convocation May 8, 2014 in Washington, DC.

The convocation commemorated the Smith-Lever Act signed on the same day 100 years ago establishing Cooperative Extension nationwide through the land-grant university system. A video recording of the event, including the signing of the MOU, will be available at http://www.windrosemedia.com/windstream/ext100years/. In addition to honoring the legacy of Cooperative Extension, the convocation speakers provided a compelling vision for another 100 years of Extension educational excellence by extending knowledge and changing lives. About the MOU, Henning said, “The 4-H program, designed, delivered and evaluated nationwide by Cooperative Extension in cooperation with USDA-NIFA and with support from the National 4-H Council, will continue to be one of our flagship programs as we work diligently to grow a new generation of leaders for our nation and the world.”